Collapsible canopy



y 1964 P. CHERUBIN COLLAPSIBLE CANOPY Filed Dec. 17, 1962 III l N VENTOR Pefek CZL/Ulfl United States Patent 3,134,426 COLLAPSIBLE CANOPYPeter Cherubin, Sinn (Dillkreis), Auf der Hardt, Germany, assignor toDr. Hans-Joachim Kriiger, Sinn (Dillkreis), Germany Filed Dec. 17, 1962,Ser. No. 245,232 Claims priority, application Germany Dec. 18, 1961 4Claims. (Cl. 160-81) This invention relates to collapsible canopies andthe like such as sun blinds mounted on upright supports such as walls.

Known collapsible canopies necessitate the operator clearing a spacebeneath the canopy to provide room for moving parts of the canopy as itis collapsed or opened or to provide room for the operator whilecollapsing or opening the canopy.

The main object of the present invention is to provide an improvedcollapsible canopy which can be collapsed or opened withoutnecessitating the clearance of any space beneath it.

According to the present invention a collapsible canopy comprises amount for securing to an upright support, a carrier hingedly secured tosaid mount to pivot thereon in a substantially horizontal plane andhaving vertically spaced substantially horizontal projections withspaced apertures therein, a number of frame elements each having a pairof arms secured together at one end with their free ends urged apart,journals on the free end portions of said arms and engaged in theapertures in said projections with the axes substantially perpendicularto the projections, rods supported by the frame elements, and an awningof flexible material extended over said rods.

The canopy is preferably constructed with the rods and frame elements orstruts which support them positioned in the carrier on axesperpendicular to the plane of the canopy, and the carrier itself ispositioned likewise in a mount or bracket serving to fasten the canopyto the upright support e.g. a Wall, so as to pivot on an axis parallelto the said axes, and each strut preferably has a journal which may beintroduced into the carrier apertures from above and below respectively,and both journals are resiliently urged in opposing directions into saidapertures. Preferably each journal consists of one or both ends of aU-shaped wire forming the struts.

The advantage of the canopy of the invention is that it can be folded upin the plane of the canopy. The ability of the carrier to be swivelledon the mount makes it possible to fold the canopy up in a confined spaceto lie parallel to the wall, so that it is protected from rain by mostof the existing projections on the wall above it. Preferably, twoswivelling axles or journals are provided one at each end of the carrierwhich may be used at will in order to fold the canopy towards one sideor the other depending on the available room. It is not necessary toclear a space beneath the canopy as in conventional canopies having anoperating handle and/ or a footing on the ground. The canopy may begenerally semi-circular with a radius which may be greater than itsheight above the ground.

The rods may be removed quickly from the carrier whenever the canopy isno longer in use or the awning eg of fabric is to be cleaned. In orderto facilitate cleaning the fabric, it is secured to the rods by pockets,one for each rod spaced along its peripheral edge portion and has a lugin its centre which may he slid over a peg or pin secured to the struts.In addition to this, loops can be provided for fastening the fabricalong the rods which can be easily undone. Thus the entire fabric of theawning can be removed after folding up the canopy and removing the lugfrom the peg of the carrier.

In order that the invention may be more clearly under- 3,134,426Patented May 26, 1964 "ice stood an embodiment in accordance therewithwill now be described by way of example with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an underneath plan view of an opened py;

FIG. 2 is a radial cross section along the line H-II of FIG. 1 lookingin the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross section through the carrier, and

FIG. 4 is an underside plan view of the folded canopy.

In the figures the same references are used to designate the same parts.

Referring to the drawings these show a collapsible canopy mounted on avertical support, e.g. a brick wall; the canopy has a mount shown as abracket 19 fixed to the wall, a carrier 8 hingedly secured to the mountwith vertically spaced substantially horizontal projections 10, 11having apertures therein, a number of frame elements shown as struts 9each having a pair of arms 15, 16 carrying journals 17, 18 on their freeend portions engaged in said apertures, rods 2 supported on the upperrod arms 15, and an awning or cover 1 secured to the rods.

The awning is preferably of fabric and the rods 2 are preferably asshown of bamboo canes. For fixing the awning 1 on to the rods 2, pockets3 are sewn at corresponding distances on to the underside peripheralportion of the awning. The edges 4 of the awning 1 are folded over toform a loop, thereby forming additional elongated pockets for theoutermost rods 2. On the underside of the awning 1 a few loops 5 aresewn on, which are preferably provided with press buttons to fix themround the rods. These loops prevent the awning from lifting up whenopened out during high winds. A lug 6, is fitted in the centre of radiusof the awning for securing and tightening the awning on the frameelements, the lug being slid over a peg 7, located on the carrier. Theentire awning 1 may be removed from the rods 2 when the canopy is foldedup as FIG. 4 if the lug 6 is raised from the peg 7.

The peg 7 is disposed in the carrier 8 which is generally in the shapeof a horse shoe in vertical cross section, its arms or projections 10and 11 being reinforced by a web 12. In FIG. 1, the projections 10, 11are each shown in outline as an obtuse angle triangle, and have sevenapertures along the edge portion 13. Each rod 2 is fastened on to itsstrut 9 with two clips and consists of a steel wire loop bent over at anacute angle, the arms thereof being shown at 15 and 16. The ends 17, 18of each strut arm are bent over so that they are co-axially orapproximately so. The ends 17, 18 are placed in the apertures 13 of thearms 10 and 11 respectively and serve as rotary axles or pivots for thestruts and thus also for the rods 2. The arms 15, 16 are urged apartinto the aforesaid position and their free ends can be pressed together,to remove them from these apertures, thus facilitating assembling ordismantling of the struts and the rods.

The carrier 8 is pivoted on the bracket 19. This bracket, substantiallyof plate form, has projections 20 and 21 respectively at each end at thetop and bottom, with apertures 22, 23 respectively therein, which arecoaxial With the outermost apertures 13 in the carrier 8. One of thebores 22, 23 receives the journal 17 or 18 of one of the two outermoststruts 9, whilst the journals 17, 18 of the other outermost strut areshortened to such an extent that they cannot engage in the apertures 22,23 respectively. In FIGS. 1 and 4 the journals 17, 18 pass through theapertures 22 of the shank 20. The canopy can thus be folded up about theaxis of the aperture 22 to the position shown in FIG. 4.

Further lugs 24 are fitted at the ends of the awning 1, so as to be ableto fasten the external rods in hooks 25, fitted to the wall.

A generally semi-circular canopy is shown in the drawings. The canopymay however also be a segment of a circle with an apex angle of less ormore than 18 0 degrees, for instance, it may form an angle of 90 degreesso as to be able to fit in a wall rack. In such case-the bracket 19 isin the form of an angle iron.

I claim: 7

1. VA collapsible canopy comprising a bracket to be secured to anupright support and having aperturesthere in, a carrier havingvertically spaced substantially horizontal projections with spacedapertures therein, the end apertures being in register with the bracketprojection apertures to form a hinge at each side of the projection, aplurality of frame elements each having a pair of spring arms securedtogether at orie end With their free. ends urged apart, each frameelement being in the form of a Wire loop the truncated ends of the armsof which are bent to form journals on the free end portions of said armsand engaged in the apertures in the carrier projections byspring actionwith their axes perpendicular to the projections, rods supported by" theframe elements, and an awning'or" flexible material extended over therods, the journals on the end frame elementsalso pivotally entering theapertures in thebracket projections so that the carrier'can pivot' atwill about either side end of the bracket by means of the hinge'byreleasing the other end journals from the bracket projection apertures.

2. A collapsible canopy according to claim 1 wherein spaced clips areprovided with the rods secured to the upper arms of the frame elements.

3. A collapsible canopy according] to claim 1 where: in the awningis'removable from the rods.

4. A collapsible canopy according to claim 1 wherein V the carrier isprovided with a peg and the inner part of the awning is provided withmeans engaged by the peg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Reimelf Mar; 1, 1960

1. A COLLAPSIBLE CANOPY COMPRISING A BRACKET TO BE SECURED TO AN UPRIGHTSUPPORT AND HAVING APERTURES THEREIN, A CARRIER HAVING VERTICALLY SPACEDSUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PROJECTIONS WITH SPACED APERTURES THEREIN, THEEND APERTURES BEING IN REGISTER WITH THE BRACKET PROJECTION APERTURES TOFORM A HINGE AT EACH SIDE OF THE PROJECTION, A PLURALITY OF FRAMEELEMENTS EACH HAVING A PAIR OF SPRING ARMS SECURED TOGETHER AT ONE ENDWITH THEIR FREE ENDS URGED APART, EACH FRAME ELEMENT BEING IN THE FORMOF A WIRE LOOP THE TRUNCATED ENDS OF THE ARMS OF WHICH ARE BENT TO FORMJOURNALS ON THE FREE END PORTIONS OF SAID ARMS AND ENGAGED IN THEAPERTURES IN THE CARRIER PROJECTIONS BY SPRING ACTION WITH THEIR AXESPERPENDICULAR TO THE PROJECTIONS, RODS SUPPORTED BY THE FRAME ELEMENTS,AND AN AWNING OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL EXTENDED OVER THE RODS, THE JOURNALSON THE END FRAME ELEMENTS ALSO PIVOTALLY ENTERING THE APERTURES IN THEBRACKET PROJECTIONS SO THAT THE CARRIER CAN PIVOT AT WILL ABOUT EITHERSIDE END OF THE BRACKET BY MEANS OF THE HINGE BY RELEASING THE OTHER ENDJOURNALS FROM THE BRACKET PROJECTION APERTURES.